CHAPTER 36

"How is Mr. Kent?"

Martha and Clark both look up when they hear Lois' voice. "The doctor is in with him now," Martha replies as Lois rushes up to them.

"What the hell happened?" she asks as they all sit down.

"We found my father hanging from the rafters in the barn, unconscious," Clark says while leaning back against the chair with a sigh. "There was a sign that said that he should drop out while he could," he adds.

She stares back at him in shock before she replies. "When I find the person or persons responsible, they will feel the wrath of Lois Lane," a fierce expression on her face.

Before either Clark or Martha could reply, the doctor comes into the room. "Mrs. Kent?"

"I'm Mrs. Kent," getting up from her chair. "How is my husband?"

"He has a couple of bruised ribs and a mean bump on the head but he's gonna be okay. We want to keep him overnight for observation," he tells her.

"Can we see him now?" Clark asks him.

"Of course," he says with a smile. "This way."

They follow him down a long hallway until he stops in front of one of the doors. "He's in there," he says.

"Thank you," Martha says as she opens the door.

"You're quite welcome," taking a moment to briefly shake her hand before heading back in the direction they came from.

The three of them enter the room. "What do you think you're doing?" Clark asks as Jonathan struggles with putting on his flannel shirt. "Where do you think you're going?" a frown on his face as he walks over to his father.

He finally gets his shirt on. "You haven't postponed the rally yet have you?" ignoring Clark and turning to Lois.

"I just told them that-"

"No," he declares in a firm tone. "I can't let them stop me. That's exactly what they want."

"Something tells me that this isn't the first time you've been warned," Clark's eyes narrowing at his father.

Martha stares at her husband in disbelief. "Is that true? How can you keep this from us? We're supposed to be in this as a family."

"Are we?" looking over at her curiously as he puts on his boots. "You've never been happy about my running in the first place, now I'm guessing that you want me to quit?"

"Maybe you're willing to risk your life over this, but I don't think I 'm willing to stand by and watch!"

"I have GOT to see this thing through, Martha," he declares.

She shakes her head and promptly stomps out of the room. "I'll…uh…let them know that the rally is still on," Lois says as she leaves the room, leaving only Jonathan and Clark standing there.

"So who do you think is responsible?" Clark asks as his father buttons up his shirt.

"I don't know," Jonathan answers back while putting on his coat.

"Well at least you didn't automatically blame Lex for this like you used to," Clark remarks while sitting down on the bed with a sigh.

Jonathan sits down next to him. "I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks, huh?" gently nudging Clark with his elbow.

Clark chuckles a little at Jonathan's comment before his eyes widen. "I forgot to call Lana and tell her what happened," pulling out his phone.

"You do that while I sign myself out," Jonathan says.

"I still think you should stay here," Clark says as he starts to dial Lana's number.

"You already know my answer to that," Jonathan says.

Clark just rolls his eyes as he leaves the room. Just then, he spots Lex rounding the corner. "Lex," momentarily startled by the sight of his former lover. "What are you doing here?" hanging up.

"I heard about the attack on your father and I wanted to make sure he was alright," he replies. "So how is he?"

"Just a couple of bruised ribs and a bump on the head," Clark replies in a cool tone, his arms folded across his chest.

"I'm happy to hear that," Lex responds back. "So any idea who's responsible?" he asks next.

"I don't know," shrugging his shoulders. "We'll figure it out though," starting to walk past him.

Lex grabs his arm. "Just because we're not together anymore doesn't mean we can't be civil with each other."

Clark wrenches his arm away from Lex's grasp. "The breakup was your decision, or did you forget?" glaring back at him.

"No, I haven't forgotten," he replies, his eyes clouding over briefly before continuing on. "The other reason why I came here was to tell you that I've issued a press release denouncing the attack and offered a reward for any information that will lead to the assailants capture."

Clark noticed the brief change of expression in Lex's eyes but doesn't say anything about it. "I…uh…have to make a call," holding up his phone.

Lex just nods at him as Clark starts to walk away. "Clark?" he calls out.

Clark turns around. "What?"

Lex walks up to him and rests his hand on Clark's shoulder. "I promise you. We'll find out who did this to your dad," he says in a soft tone before walking away.

Clark watches as Lex walks down the hallway and around the corner, disappearing from his sight. I hope you're right, he thinks to himself as he dials the number.

"Did it work?" Samantha throws the newspaper down on the table. "We failed him," she goes on to say. "Well now we know what we need to do, and I already have everything in place," she says to the other two guys.

"Samantha, chill out. We already went too far and it totally backfired," replies one of them.

"Yeah, the other one says. "We need to turn ourselves in before someone points the finger at Lex."

"Lex asked us to go the extra ten miles," fixing a steely glare at the two of them. "I'm the only one willing to do that."

They both stare at her with shock. "What do you mean?" one of them finally asks with trepidation.

"There's one thing that the Kent's can't bounce back from."

The two of them look at each other. "I'm going to the cops before this gets out of control," one of them says as the other starts to follow him out of the room.

Samantha promptly pulls out a gun from her purse. The click causes the two guys to turn around. Their eyes widen as she fires two shots, one into each of them. As they collapse to the floor, she puts the gun down and stares down at their dead bodies for a moment before walking over to the desk with a mirror hanging above it.

"Lex would have never given up that easily," she says to herself as she picks up the electric razor and holds it to her head…

The Kent Farm

"So where is your father?" Lana asks as she sits down on the couch in the living room and puts her feet up.

"He's on his way to the rally," Clark tells her as he sits down next to her.

"I've never seen your mother walk out on your father like that," Lois remarks as she sits down in the recliner. "She must really be upset with him."

"Yeah," Clark answers back. "Who could have been responsible for the attack on my father?" he wonders out loud.

"I have a possible suspect in mind," Lois replies, then proceeds to tell them about her encounter with Samantha Drake earlier that day. "I think it's worth checking into the Students for Lex Luthor."

"I agree," he says as he stands up and walks over to the desk in the hallway.

Lois looks at him curiously as he flips through several folders. "What are you looking for?"

"A list of calls made today," he replies as he continues looking. "There was a call that my father claimed was a wrong number but now I'm not so sure," he says as he finally finds what he was looking for while Lois looks over his shoulder.

"I don't recognize this number," pointing to a phone number on the paper in his hand as he pulls out his phone and dials it. "Blocked," he says as he hangs up and returns his phone to his jeans pocket. "I'm gonna head to the Daily Planet and see if Chloe could find out anything," he tells her before turning to Lana. "Are you coming to the rally?"

"I'd love too, but I'm feeling really tired so I think I'll go to bed," she says while stifling a yawn.

"Good idea. You need your rest," giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in the morning then," walking over to the coat rack. "What about you, Lois?" he asks as he puts on his coat. "Wanna tag along?"

"As much as I would love to play Woodward to your Bernstein, I have to head on over to Town Hall and take care of some last minute stuff for the rally," she replies with a smirk as she rises from the couch and heads for the front door. "Let me know what you find out," opening the front door. "See you later," waving to the two of them as she steps onto the porch.

"Good night," Lana says as she heads up the stairs. Clark follows Lois outside and closes the door behind him. He gets into his truck but doesn't start it, instead waiting until her car is out of sight before getting back out and super-speeding away…

Lex finishes talking to someone on the phone as he opened the doors to his study. He pauses for a moment in the doorway and looks curiously at the fireplace. I didn't ask any of the servants to build a fire, the doors closing behind him after he enters the room. He happens to glance over at his desk, his eyebrow arching when the chair swivels around.

"Miss Drake," taken aback at first by the lack of hair on her head. "I didn't recognize you for a moment," he quips as she stands up.

"I wanted to show you how devoted I am to you," she replies in a soft tone as she walks towards him and sheds the short black trench coat she was wearing.

"Well, you certainly have," chuckling a little nervously as she stands naked before him. "Miss Drake," he begins, "I'm…uh…flattered, but I have all the enabling devices I need. Thank you. Although apparently I could use better security," walking around her to the couch.

Why couldn't it be Clark taking off the trench coat? I could bend him over the couch and…

He gives himself a mental shake and picks up her coat.

"Don't they say that you should never use your birth date as your security code?" she says coyly as he drapes the coat over her shoulders. "Or more specifically, your brothers?" turning around to face him as she puts the coat back on and ties the belt securely around her waist.

"Interesting choice of perfume," he says as she comes up to him.

"Hermes," she replies, gazing up into his eyes. "It's your favorite. I know everything about you, Mr. Senator."

Not everything. "Senator. Now aren't you a little ahead of yourself?"

"Not now. Not with Jonathan Kent out of the picture," she replies coolly.

His eyes narrow. "I would never condone what happened to Jonathan Kent," he replies in the same cool tone.

"Of course not," she says as he starts to walk away from her. "You have to distance yourself." He stops in his tracks and slowly turns around. "It's like you said in the Herald article. 'Strike when you can but never leave yourself vulnerable.'"

He stares at her for a moment. "You were responsible for the attack, weren't you?" he asks her accusingly.

"Yes. I know what you want me to do," coming right back up to him. "I would never want you to take the fall for it."

He grabs her by both arms. "You may have read about me, but don't assume you know me. I would never hurt the Kent's," he replies angrily. "They're like a second family to me."

"You're losing your edge, Lex."

"And you've clearly gone over it," he replies as he turns towards the desk. "My security will escort you to the police station," picking up the phone.

She grabs a bottle from the mini bar and smashes him over the head, causing him to hit his head on the desk and fall unconscious to the floor. "You're just having a moment of weakness," she mutters softly as she straddles his body. "That's why you need me," her lips close to his while her hand caresses his head.

Daily Planet

Clark steps out of the elevator and makes his way over to Chloe's desk. "Hey, Clark. What's up?" she asks as she leans back in her chair and crosses her legs.

"Can you look up this phone number and tell me where the call came from? I tried, but the number was blocked," handing the paper over to her.

"I can give it a shot," taking it from him. "So tell me what's going on," she says as she keys in the number.

He tells her what happened to his father along with Lois' suspicions while they wait for the computer to do its magic. "You know, it's not like your dad to keep something like that a secret," she remarks after he's finished.

"I know," he says as he sits down on the edge of her desk. "Lately he's been a different person…almost as if he has something to prove to everyone."

She looks at him curiously. "Or maybe just his son," she remarks before turning her attention back to the screen in front of her.

He furrows his brows in puzzlement. "What does running for Senator have to do with me?"

She looks up at him again. "Think about it, Clark. It must be kind of hard being a role model for a guy who pulls people out of a burning building or stops nuclear missiles all between chores and dinner."

"No one's expecting him to do that," he replies back.

"True, but it's not gonna stop him from trying," looking at the screen when she hears a beep. "Let's see," waiting for the page to load. "Lois were right. The call did come from the Students for Lex Luthor office at CKU," looking up.

"I better check out their office," he says but not before giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks," he whispers in her ear before taking off.

She just shakes her head as she gets out of her chair and kneels down on the floor to pick up all the papers that flew off her desk due to the breeze Clark left behind.

A few seconds later…

Clark opens the door and steps into the darkened office. He starts to take a few steps but pauses for a moment when he sees a blood trail. He follows it until he comes across the bodies of the two guys lying next to each other, a cut-out picture of Lex's face along with a lock of blonde hair on each of their faces. He picks up one of the locks and studies it for a moment before walking over to the desk where he finds the picture of Lex with Samantha Drake. There he finds a poster of his father, his face all scratched up. His eyes widen as he realizes what it implies.

Dad!

He drops the poster and immediately takes off for the rally…

"…to do my part to put the heart back in the heartland," Jonathan reads off the index cards that contain his speech as he and Lois walk through the backstage.

"Great closing line, Mr. Kent," she says with a smile.

"They're Martha's words, not mine," he replies. "I just hope she shows up in time to hear me say them," exhaling softly as he puts the index cards into his jacket pocket.

Lois hesitates for a moment. "Mr. Kent, are you sure you want to do this? I know we have extra security and everything but it's still not too late to postpone."

"Lois, what kind of leader would I be if I let some pranksters make me back down, hmm?" smiling back at her as he finishes off his coffee.

She takes the cup from him then quickly adjusts his tie. "You look great," she tells him. "Knock 'em dead, boss," she calls out after him as he walks away. She finishes off her coffee and watches as he puts on a smile and steps out onto the stage among the cheers and applause.

As he walks up to the podium and begins to speak, Lois notices someone backstage wearing a red baseball cap. "Excuse me," she says. When they don't respond, she walks over to them. "Hey," grabbing their arm and forcing them to turn around. She stares in shock at the person standing in front of her but before she could react, she's punched in the face and falls to the ground unconscious.

A couple minutes later…

Lois wakes up and finds herself on the floor of the media room on the second level facing the stage where Jonathan was talking. "Talk about an initiation gone wrong," she quips as she sits up and looks at the gun pointed at her.

"Get up," Samantha tells her in a firm tone. "Those basic training skills are looking a little rusty," she goes on as Lois stands up and rubs the back of her head. "Like I said, know your enemy."

"Look, Magnum Cum Laude Psycho," Lois says in a firm tone and staring directly into Samantha's eyes. "You are NOT gonna shoot Jonathan Kent."

"You're right," she replies with an evil grin. "You are," picking up a snipers rifle and tossing it to her.

"Nobody would ever believe that I would shoot Jonathan Kent," she replies as she looks through the scope of the rifle, the crosshairs appearing on Jonathan's forehead.

"Really," Samantha smirks. "Beautiful girl comes to live under his roof. His wife gets a little too busy at that coffee shop. Suddenly he fires a seasoned political consultant and takes her on the campaign trail? Until it all goes wrong, and the spurned lover gets her revenge," the barrel of her gun a couple inches away from the back of Lois' head.

"Apparently you didn't hear that I moved out and into my very own apartment," Lois replies with a smirk.

Samantha cocks the gun in her hand. "Enough stalling. Just aim the gun at Jonathan's head and shoot. Didn't General Lane teach you anything?"

"Actually, he did," suddenly turning around and knocking Samantha over with the rifle. They fight over it until Samantha knocks Lois to the ground with it and aims it at Jonathan's head, then pulls the trigger.

Clark enters the auditorium and looks over at his father, then scans the room. His ears perk up when he hears the gun fire. Immediately he rushes towards the stage, barely ahead of the speeding bullet and catches it within a couple inches of Jonathan's face.

Immediately the crowd drops to the ground while the security guards rush Jonathan and Martha away from the scene. Clark kneels down for a moment and takes another look around the room. When he hears the rifle click, he immediately super-speeds upstairs.

Lois gets up and they resume the fight, pulling the gun out of Samantha's hands and pushing her down to the floor face down. Just as she straddles Samantha to keep her from getting up, Clark bursts through the door. "Lois," looking curiously at the scene before him.

"Don't sweat it, Smallville. Better late than never," she quips.

The next morning…

Lex was in his study reading when he has an unexpected visitor. "Clark," getting up from the couch as Clark enters the room. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I heard what happened to you last night so I thought I'd come by to see if you were okay," he replies while standing near the doorway.

"That's more than my own father did," Lex replies. "He was just in here telling me that I'm 'slipping' and that I needed to dust off this book," holding up The Art of War. "I would have been happier if I had gotten a bicycle for my fourteenth birthday," tossing it onto the couch. "So I'm sure that your father must be happy about the latest poll results," he remarks.

"He could have done without the attempt on his life but…yeah…he's happy about them," Clark responds in an even tone.

Lex nods his head. "So is that the only reason why you stopped by or…" his voice trailing off.

Clark takes a deep breath and exhales. "No," he admits as he walks closer to Lex. "I've been thinking about what you said yesterday about us being civil."

"Oh?" quirking a brow.

"I would be willing to give it a try if you are," he says.

Lex looks at the outstretched hand in front of him. "Alright," slowly taking Clark's hand and shaking it. They gaze at each other for a long time before their fingers slowly unlink. "I…uh…have to go. Early class this morning," turning around and walking over to the doors.

"Clark?"

He turns around. "Yes, Lex?"

"See you around?"

"Yeah," giving Lex a small smile before he exits the room, the doors swinging closed behind him.

Jonathan and Lois were going over his schedule for the next couple days when Martha comes in. "Good news," she says. "You were up by ten points after the rally last night, not seven as they originally thought," showing him the paper in her hand.

"Wow," he grins as he puts on his coat. "It looks like we could win this thing after all," giving his wife a kiss before he leaves the house, closing the door behind him.

"It's great to see him so optimistic," Martha remarks.

"Yeah," Lois replies. "I hate to be the one to burst his bubble," a serious look on her face.

"What do you mean?" asks Martha.

"Lex is running eight hundred ads and dropping three mailers in the next couple weeks. We may be ahead now, but that much coverage will make Mr. Kent a distant memory by Election Day. And as far as I can tell-"

"We're out of money," Martha finishes her sentence. "I've been trying to figure out a way to tell him about it for the last couple days. The thing is, we do have somebody who's willing to front the money."

"Really. Who?" Lois asks her.

"Lionel Luthor," Martha replies.

Lois stares at her in disbelief. "You can't be serious. Mr. Kent would never take money from Lionel Luthor."

"I know," Martha says as she walks over to the refrigerator. "I don't know what to do," pulling out a bottle of milk and setting it down on the kitchen table. Just then, the phone rings.

"I'll get it," Lois says as she walks over to the phone and picks up the receiver. "Hello?" she answers. "No, he's not here but his wife is. Just a moment," turning to Martha and holding out the phone.

"Who is it?" Martha whispers as she takes the receiver.

"Beats the hell out of me," shrugging her shoulders as she goes into the living room and sits down on the couch.

"Hello," Martha answers. "Yes, this is his wife," stopping to listen. "What?" her voice rising an octave. Lois looks up with concern at the tone of Martha's voice. "Yes, I'll be here. Thank you so much," she says just before she hangs up.

Lois watches as Martha sits down at the kitchen table in a daze. "Mrs. K, are you okay?" getting up and walking over to her.

She looks up at Lois. "You won't believe it," shaking her head.

"Believe what?" sitting down next to her.

"I just talked to someone who wants to meet with me about making a very sizeable donation to Jonathan's campaign. They're gonna be here any minute."

"Oh?" her interest piqued. "How much?" she asks.

"At least as much as what Lionel offered," she replied.

"Wow," Lois says. "Who is it?"

Before Martha could answer, there's a knocking at the door. "That's him. Will you get it?" Martha asks as she bolts up from her chair and heads up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Lois calls up to her.

"I have to freshen up," she replies back without turning around.

She didn't tell me who it was, Lois mumbles under her breath as she walks over to the kitchen door and opens it. Her jaw drops at the sight of the gorgeous man standing there.

"Are you alright, Miss Lane?" he asks with a smile.

She gives herself a mental shake. "How did you know my name?"

"I do my research," still smiling. "So is Mrs. Kent here?"

"She just went upstairs for a minute," she replies.

"So are you going to ask me in or do I have to stay out here on the porch?" he asks in a teasing tone.

"I'm so sorry," holding the door open. Please, come in," her gaze lingering on his backside as he walks past her into the house. Damn, he's gorgeous, closing the door and leaning back against it. "You have me at a disadvantage," she says coyly as she saunters towards him. "You know who I am but I don't know who you are."

"You're right. Where are my manners?" still smiling as he extends his hand. "I'm Oliver Queen."

TO BE CONTINUED…